


Sanctuary

by DreamingState



Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age II
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Dogs, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mentions of Rape, Mentions of Slavery, Mentions of past abuse, Mentions of past drug abuse, Other tags/warnings may apply
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-04
Updated: 2015-04-13
Packaged: 2018-03-16 06:08:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3477359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DreamingState/pseuds/DreamingState
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fenris is a man on the run and not much going for him and suddenly is corralled into working at an animal shelter with a rag tag group of misfits. Somehow he has to learn how to lead a normal life, and fit in with these strange people who for some reason feel inclined to call him family.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! This is a new fic for me, and as usual I'm a little concerned about it. ^^;  
> I wanted to try my hand at long fic but I usually give up way too soon! But this time I'm determined to see it through. Please go on this adventure with me, and make me keep going if you have to!  
> Hugs and kisses! xoxo

                Fenris was pretty sure that the guy behind the counter at the nearby drug store thought he was an addict. Every time he came up to purchase a new bottle of ibuprofen and a box or so of tea that was supposed to be “soothing,” the guy gave him this look like he expected him to ask where the Claritin and the spare batteries were. Truth be told, a couple of years ago, he wouldn’t have been too far off the mark, but he’d been clean for years now.

                _Three years already is it? Doesn’t seem like half that long._

                Coming off the cocktail of whatever drugs he’d been kept on since the time he was about 14, however, was remarkably difficult. Even to this day, he still got shooting migraines and sudden shivers as his body still shook with withdrawal. Probably, he should have seen a doctor, but he didn’t have a legitimate drivers license, much less insurance. All of his paperwork was falsified, giving him a paper trail where before none had existed. Danarius had made sure that none of his “assets” existed in the eyes of the government.

                He’d heard that coming off an addiction cold-turkey was so difficult that many people couldn’t handle it and went back to the drugs as soon as they could, but for Fenris the force of his will was stronger than the complaints of his body. He’d already lost so much of his life to the drug-induced haze he’d been kept under that it was almost a struggle to swallow down Motrin, and he only did that when the migraines became too much to bear. He didn’t drink, he didn’t smoke. As long as he’d been under his own power, he’d been clean.

                But his lyrium veins shone out obviously on his skin, and even though elves were usually short of statue, he was more so and skinny as a rail. To most people he met on the street, he probably looked like some drug addled hippie or anarchist or something, but there was nothing he could do about it.

                Lyrium tattoos weren’t _illegal_ per-se, but they were suspicious, and made it all the easier for Danarius’ men to track him down no matter where he went.

                So dickhead behind the counter could glare at him all he wanted- it wasn’t like he’d be able to stay here for much longer anyway. Soon enough he’d be on the run again, taking whatever jobs he could and money wherever he could get it just to make it another day.

                _Who knows. Maybe I’ll get lucky this time, and won’t have to wind up loitering at truck stops for cash or a meal._

                One could only hope.

                He stepped back out into the light of noon, and squinted his eyes from the sun as he slid his sunglasses back over the bridge of his nose. Though he was sensitive to light, he preferred being out in the light of day as opposed to night. For one, it was safer when his tattoos didn’t glow so much, and for another he was sick and tired of living in the dark.

                The bark of a dog cut right through his senses and into his brain, and he winced. He’d forgotten it was Saturday- adoption day for the pet supply store next to the drug store. Usually he stayed away because the loud noises aggravated his headaches, but today he was curious. Even with the pain just behind his eyes, he turned his attention to the lines of dog crates watched over by careful volunteers who were no doubt scouting out potential pet-owners.

                Truth be told, he’d always wanted a dog. He fantasized over having a large fluffy dog, soft enough to hold at night when the panic attacks came, but ferocious enough to intimidate Danarius’ men. It was a fantasy, for he could barely take care of himself, much less an animal. And what would he do with it when he had to do… unsavory things for money? Besides, he didn’t have the right paper work.

                Still, a small smile crept on his face as he held up his fingers to a cage for the terrier inside to lick and bark at. Dogs were always so friendly- even to elves with unnaturally white hair and slaver’s markings etched in lyrium all over his flesh. One of the volunteers shot him a wary look, but he ignored her as he moved from the terrier’s crate to an enclosure full of wriggling puppies that smelled of dog pee and their mother’s milk. Oh the temptation was strong to at least _try_ to adopt one of them, even though he knew that it would never work out. They were just so soft and warm and welcoming.

                “Hey, look out! _Bad_ dog!” a voice boomed at the edge of his attention, and Fenris looked up to see a massive dog that looked like he had some great dane in him _somewhere_ barreling towards him at full speed.

                As an instinct more than anything else, he immediately straightened and held out his hand… only to be surprised when the dog obeyed and skid into a seated position at his feet. The dog looked up at him with what could only be called a smile with his tongue lolling out.

                “I’m so sorry,” said the voice that had warned him before. “He’s usually better than that, and I usually have a tighter grip on his leash but _hey,_ that was impressive!”

                The owner of the voice was a tall wall of muscle, a human with dark hair liberally covering his arms and peeking out of the v of his t-shirt. Fenris flicked his eyes up to see friendly whisky-colored eyes smiling down at him before Fenris had to look away again. He looked down at the dog instead and knelt in front of him, rubbing his ears and making the dog pant with happiness.

                “It’s not a problem, really. I like dogs.”

                “Me too!” the human said, and laughed deep and robust. Fenris swore that he could feel the rumble in his chest, and felt a lance of heat to his groin.

                _This is not the time to be attracted to anyone;_ Fenris chided himself and hid his face in the dog’s fur.

                “Obviously,” he mumbled in response.

                “Obviously,” the human replied and laughed again. “Hey you wouldn’t happen to have any experience with dog training would you?”

                “No,” Fenris said automatically, though in all honesty he wasn’t sure. His time with Danarius was hazy, but everything before that was just a blank stretch of nothing. He had no idea how old he was, where he came from, or even what his real name was.

                His drivers license said “Faeron Tabris” but that was just a name generated by the man who had falsified his documents. It was common enough to not arise suspicion, but Fenris was really the only name he had to go by.

                His drivers license also said he was 22 years old, but sometimes looking in the mirror he wasn’t sure about that. Some days he thought he must be eons older, other times he found surprising youth in his features.

                But this wasn’t something he was going to tell the human outright, so instead he said: “I really just like dogs.”

                “Hmm.” The human mused for a moment. “I would have guessed you’ve trained them before. Barkspawn usually doesn’t listen to anyone but me, and then only sometimes.”

                “Barkspawn?” Fenris looked up with an arched eyebrow, surprised.

                The human’s face was as strong as his voice, with a neatly trimmed beard and laughing eyes. Fenris found his cheeks warming as he realized the human was blushing.

                “Yeah, uh, like the video game? ‘ _Return of the Archdemon?_ ’ Darkspawn were the main enemies you had to fight in it and I… thought it was clever.”

                Fenris couldn’t help but chuckle at that. This human was such a nerd. He’d learned to be wary of humans, especially human men, but this one had a comfortable air about him that he couldn’t help but want to relax into. That and he obviously loved dogs. Dog lovers were usually good people- it was those that used them like tools that you had to look out for.

                “So… he’s yours? You’re not a volunteer?” Fenris looked pointedly at the man’s t-shirt which advertised some dog shelter or other.

                _Maker, look at those muscles. I bet he could carry off three of Danarius’ body guards without question._

                The human looked down on it as if seeing it for the first time.

                “Oh, well yeah. My family owns the shelter, but Barkspawn is mine. Everyone has their ‘foster failure’ as they’re called.” He chuckled, but then grew suddenly serious. “Hey, you wouldn’t happen to be looking for a job, would you? My siblings just went off to college, and it’s just me and my mom and a few hands now. We’re hurting for help and we wouldn’t mind taking on someone good with dogs. We’ll pay and train you of course.”

                Both of Fenris’ eyebrows shot up. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

                “You want… to hire me?” he spoke slowly, expecting the human to retract his statement as soon as he’d made it. To his surprise, however, the human beamed.

                “Yeah, if you’d want to. You seem like a good person, and all of that.”

                “But I’m…” nothing but trouble. “I don’t have any references or anything.”

                “Not a problem!” the man beamed. “If you want the job, it’s yours!”

                His mouth opened to refuse, but then he stopped. He _should_ say no, by all rights. Rather than dragging this innocent man into the mess of his life, he should kindly turn him down and return to his lonely existence.

                But the thing was, he was _tired_ of running, _tired_ of being afraid and looking over his shoulder at every little bump and noise. Just for a little while, he wanted a home. He wanted to be _comfortable._ And who knows, if this man new anyone as big as he was, then maybe he’d actually be safe from Danarius for once in his life.

                The idea was far too tempting. So against his better judgment, he found the words tumbling out of his mouth.

                “I… alright. Just tell me what I need to do.”

                The man beamed so brightly that for a moment, Fenris could have sworn he was looking at the sun.

                “Okay! Great! Fantastic!” he seemed overcome with happiness over something so simple. Fenris couldn’t help but smile. “Oh, and since we’re going to be working together, I should tell you my name! I’m Hawke, Garrett Hawke, Gare-bear, or whatever else you want to call me. ‘Hey you with the dog drool on your shirt’ also works.”

                He extended his hand, and Fenris looked at it warily for a moment before he slid his own hand into his grasp. His hand was dwarfed in Hawke’s, and for a moment, he doubted his decision. But then the moment passed.

                “I’m… Fa… Fenris. Just Fenris.”

                “Okay then, Just Fenris,” Hawke said as he helped the elf to his feet. “Welcome to the team!”


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all of your kind comments! I read them all and appreciate them even if I don't remember to reply hardly ever! You're all so kind. <3  
> Kieran is my awesome beta (so if there's any mistakes BLAME THEM-)

                “I’m telling you kid, your heart is too pure. Someone’s going to take advantage of that someday,” Varric Tethras said, leaning back in his chair with his legs put up on the desk. Varric had been with the family business for so long, taking care of the legal and financial stuff, that sometimes it was hard to remember that he hadn’t been there at the start of it.

                The thought made Garrett twinge. Varric had only been hired on after Malcom died and Leandra realized that absolutely none of them knew how to actually _run_ a business from the logistics side (which, apparently, the shelter counted as). Carver and Hawke had run into him almost by accident when some business man was trying to take advantage of their naiveté and Varric had overheard. Varric said he could never resist a challenge, and thus had nearly been adopted into the family.

                Still, Garrett could tell in the crease of his friend’s eyebrows that they were in deep shit. Times had been rough- not as many adoptions and a wave of anti-pit bull sentiment had people avoiding the shelter as well as piling more of the poor breed on top.

                And here Garrett was adding another problem to the mess.

                “I told you Varric, it’s like he has a gift. He’ll be well worth it, I’m sure.”

                They both looked out the office window that looked over the hall of kennels, where Merrill was giving Fenris a tour. Merrill was ecstatic to have another elf at the shelter, and was probably talking way too fast by the glazed look in Fenris’ eyes. Still, their new recruit didn’t seem too unwilling.

                Garrett opened the office door slightly and stuck his head out.

                “Merrill, remember what I told you! Leave the bigger dogs for when I’m there to help you!”

                Passionate though she was, Merrill was tiny. Some of the dogs they had outweighed her by several pounds of muscle, and were so excited to be getting their daily walk that they nearly tore her little arms right off. Seemingly oblivious to the danger, she kept trying to take the biggest bear-like dogs out on her own, and Garrett worried.

                “I remember! Don’t worry, Hawke!” Merrill said with a smile and a small wave.

                Cute, but she was a little liar. Garrett had seen her reach for the lock of a particularly large mabari’s kennel, and only now that he had chastised her did she turn to a smaller terrier. Garrett sighed. Merrill was sweet but he had no idea how much of the actual protocol and rules were getting through to Fenris. He might have to reeducate him later.

                He closed the door and turned back to Varric, who was watching him with raised eyebrows.

                “None of his paperwork is authentic, you know that right?” Varric said.

                “N- ..Well. How can you tell?”

                “I have my ways,” Varric said in a tone that was in no way ominous.

                Garrett trusted him, for he had no reason not to. Varric was just like that, full of information with questionable legality, and good advice. Advice that Garrett usually trusted but…

                There was a silence as Garrett looked out the window towards the row of dog kennels again. He watched Merrill go over the proper way to harness a dog for a walk, and Fenris’ nervous-but-interested body language as he held out a hand for the terrier to sniff. He was stiff, but with a willingness to bend that the dogs could see in him. Garrett watched the terrier bump up against Merrill’s legs for emotional support, and then tentatively smelled Fenris’ fingers (Long and thin, set in a wide palm. Strong, but elegant, and carried much more grace than the unwieldy hams attached to Garrett’s arms). The dog seemed to be comforted by what he smelled, and happily licked Fenris’ hand. Garrett watched the flicker of a smile on the elf’s face, and was besotted. He couldn’t turn him back to the world- not when he looked skinny and underfed and terrified. Every instinct in Garrett’s body told him to protect and care for this elf, and Garrett could not help but listen.

                “Maybe my heart _is_ too soft,” Garrett said, musing.

                “But you’re set on him.” Varric didn’t sound upset, just resigned.

Varric sighed and took his feet from the desk, causing the chair to fall down on all fours with a small “bang.” Fenris looked up at that. Maybe his ears were more sensitive, so that he could hear a chair falling over the dozens of dogs trying to get his attention. If he could hear that, could he hear everything they were saying? Or maybe he was just so attuned to his surroundings that rather than being alerted by any noise, he was simply making sure that everything in the room was as it should be. Maybe he was just ready to run at a moment’s notice. Garrett’s heart twisted.

“Yeah,” Garrett said. “He looks so skinny. And I think that everything in his backpack… that’s everything he owns.”

After Fenris had agreed to work for the Hawke Animal Shelter, Garrett suggested that he come by around four, when the adoption period was over, and he could ride back to the shelter with him. He’d asked where Fenris was staying, only to get a dull look in response. Garrett had, admittedly, panicked and said that the shelter would take care of it. He’d expected Fenris to show up with at least a duffel bag, or maybe a suitcase of some sort, but there had been only the one backpack. After a little bit of prying on the way back, he found out that Fenris had been staying in a motel. When Garrett asked where he’d gotten the cash for that, Fenris flinched. Nowhere good, then.

It made Garrett’s chest hurt. He looked at the beautiful elf before him, with his bird-bone arms and skin that looked like it would be several shades darker if he got a good amount of sun. Garrett almost believed that if he were to wrap his hands around Fenris’ waist, his forefingers would touch. But then there was the flash of strength in his eyes, the fire that hadn’t been beaten out of him, a look that made Garrett feel like Fenris could punch through a wall and it wouldn’t surprise anyone. Admittedly, he was captivated, and a selfish part of him wanted to be the one who helped Fenris come into his own. Once he was on his own two feet, he felt like Fenris would be nearly unstoppable. Was that selfish?

“So not only are you having him work for us, you’re also going to have him live with you? I assume he’s getting Daisy’s old room,” Varric said with a raised eyebrow.

“Yeah. It’s been empty since she moved out. I’ve missed having a roommate,” Garrett said.

Varric shook his head.

“You’re a hopeless case, Hawke. If you wind up with a knife in the back in the middle of the night, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“Noted. But I doubt it will be a problem”

At least Garrett hoped not. He couldn’t deny that Varric had a point- it did seem likely that Fenris was either a drug addict or recently clean. Either way, he was clearly homeless and had to resort to unpleasant activities in order to live. People like that lived in the underground: part of drug smuggling rings or part of the sex trade industry, and so on. But knowing this didn’t daunt him whatsoever.

What he thought Fenris really needed was a chance.

And he was going to give him one.

Varric tapped his pencil on the desk as he looked over the paperwork Fenris had filled out. There was no social security number, the name was “frightfully common for elves” as Varric had put it, and there were no references, no past employment, not even a cell phone number.

“I’m going to call him a flight risk,” Varric said. “And I’m starting him out at minimum wage.”

“But you gave Isabela-” Garrett was cut off by Varric’s raised hand.

“And for the time being I’m giving the difference to you, since you’ll be looking after him the most after all. When he’s shown that he can be responsible with what he has, we’ll talk about giving him a raise.”

Garrett bit his lip.

“But that makes him sound like a child. He’s a grown man, Varric.”

“A grown man who probably hasn’t done a decent day’s work in his life, and doesn’t have a car, nor was he able to find residency on his own. Isabela has her parole officer to look after her. Fenris has only you.”

Garrett opened his mouth and then closed it. He had to admit that he had a point.

“Alright, but only for the time being,” Garrett said, and crossed his arms. He wasn’t comfortable with the arrangement, but he couldn’t deny that Fenris didn’t exactly seem like the responsible type. In time, sure, but for now… for now he looked as frightened as a cornered stray cat.

“Good. Now while I finish this up, why don’t you take him home and get settled. It’s going to be difficult for you both at first,” Varric said, straightening the pile of papers on his desk.

Garrett gave a sigh of relief.

“Sounds good to me. Thanks again for this, Varric.”

The dwarf waved him off.

“Don’t even mention it, Hawke.”

***

If pressed, Fenris had to say that he remembered very little of what the other elf was telling him. She seemed nice enough; though she was Dalish she had none of the annoying snobbery of many of the others he’d met. Then again, it was rare to meet a Dalish elf on their own like this, and Fenris suspected there was more to her than met the eye.

He was distracted, however, by just how many dogs there were in here. All of the barking was aggravating his migraine, but he couldn’t find it in him to mind. They were all vying for attention, asking for attention or a treat, wriggling their entire bodies in excitement. A part of him wanted to collect them all in a big pile and lay down in the middle of it for the rest of his life.

Garrett stuck his head from out of the office door again, calling out: “Hey, Fenris! Let’s get going!”

Fenris nodded and made sure that the straps of his backpack were securely tightened on his shoulders. The human came out into the row of dog kennels and gave Merrill a stern look.

“Is Anders here?” he asked.

“Oh, he should be!” she said. “I haven’t looked in the cat room today, but I think it was his turn.”

“Good. If you want to take any of the bigger dogs out, make sure to ask him for help.”

“But he _hates_ the bigger dogs!” Merrill said with a frown.

“He’ll get over it. He’s a big boy. This way, Fenris!”

Fenris had been watching the exchange mutely, feeling rather invisible. The human calling his name jolted him into awareness, and he nodded as he moved to follow.

“Bye, Fenris! See you tomorrow!” Merrill called to him with a wave.

He smiled slightly and gave her a small wave in return, and then they were outside. Garrett called to his dog (who was sleeping under the shade of a rather magnificent tree), and they made their way to his truck.

“Sorry about all of that. Varric is a stickler for paper work. It’s annoying, but at least he keeps everything organized,” Garrett said with a smile.

Fenris blinked at him in surprise.

“It was no trouble. You are the one inconvenienced by me.”

“Inconvenienced?” Garrett looked horrified. “Of course not! Why would you think that?”

The human was still frowning as he opened the back door for Barkspawn to hop up into, and then made his way to the front. Fenris climbed into the passenger seat with his backpack held tightly between his knees. He still wasn’t sure how much he should be allowed to relax when here. The human was far too open for his liking, but he couldn’t help but warm up to him. Hopefully, Garrett wouldn’t prove him wrong, though he’d learned that hope was usually false. All he had to do was wait for Garrett to turn.

The ride to Garrett’s apartment was quiet except for the human’s loud booming voice singing along with the radio. He appeared to be trying to give Fenris his space, which seemed odd. He was inviting Fenris into his home- the time for being coy was past.

Garrett lived on the bottom floor of an apartment complex (so that he could take Barkspawn out more easily, he said), and it was nicer than Fenris had expected. His stomach dropped. Garrett was probably going to expect a lot in exchange for letting him live here, so when the door closed behind him, he decided to just get it over with.

As the human began telling him about the place, he pushed him against the wall and pulled him down into a kiss. Garrett went boneless, so Fenris took control of his mouth, sliding his tongue against his lips while pressing a thigh against his groin. It wasn’t until Fenris attempted to push his tongue through Garrett’s lips that the human roughly pushed him back.

“Wh… what are you doing?” Garrett asked, rubbing the back of his hand against his mouth. His face was red and flushed, though from embarrassment or the kiss itself he couldn’t tell.

“Wasn’t… isn’t this what you expected?” Fenris’ eyebrows furrowed. He’d met a few people who were kind just for the sake of being kind, but they were very far between. When you lived as he did, there was an obvious expectation attached to every deed.

“No! I mean, not that you’re not… I’m not trying to say you’re not attractive but… don’t do that!” Garrett seemed to have a hard time collecting his thoughts, and he didn’t move his hand away from his mouth. “You don’t have to do that here! I’m just trying to help you until you can find a place of your own, that’s all!”

“Really?” Fenris said flatly. “You’re serious about that aren’t you?”

“Completely serious!” Garrett exclaimed. The blush on his face still hadn’t subsided. “Look, you even have your own bedroom and everything!”

Indeed, it appeared to be a two bedroom apartment, and the one Garrett pointed to had its own bed and furniture.

“I really didn’t intend… please don’t think you have to do anything. I don’t want you to think you have to _pay_ me in order to live here, especially like _that._ I mean, if you feel the need to do something for me, taking Barkspawn on a walk every now and then is good enough, but I think he might try to tear your arm off so… forget that! Just uhh… don’t make a mess in the bathroom?”

Garrett seemed so flustered that Fenris couldn’t help but laugh, even as he felt sick inside. He’d gone and overstepped his boundaries just seconds of walking in the door, and he no longer understood the nature of their relationship. What was he supposed to do then? He’d lived so long in the world of sex and drugs that now that he’d stepped out of it; he no longer knew what to do with himself. He didn’t know how the ‘normal’ world worked, and he found himself completely reliant on this man to show him how to behave. If he’d screwed up once, he likely would again.

“I’m sorry,” he said, casting his eyes downward. “I won’t infringe on your personal space again.”

“No, please don’t apologize!” Garrett seemed frantic. “It’s not your fault! Just don’t’ feel like you need to do anything for me, okay? I really don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

Too late, but the sentiment was appreciated.

“If you say so.”

“Great! Now uhh…” Garrett scratched the back of his head. “Now uhh… it’s not really dinner time yet so… do you want to play some video games?”

“Excuse me?” Fenris raised his eyebrows.

“Well you hadn’t heard of _Return of the Archdemon_ so if you’d like… we could play? It has a two player campaign and everything.”

Fenris couldn’t help but feel as though he’d stepped into an alternate dimension, but as long as he was safe here, he wasn’t going to question it.

“Alright then. If you’d like,” Fenris said with a smile.


	3. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for being so absent, guys. I really meant to keep my updates on a regular schedule, but sometimes my mental health doesn't agree with me. :( Thanks for being so patient! I really appreciate it! <3  
> Shout out to Ran for keeping me writing and being an awesome Beta. You're the best, Ran Ran!

“And then Barkspawn ran _right_ into Anders and knocked him over! I’ve never heard him swear so much. I’m not sure if that’s the reason he doesn’t like dogs anymore, but he spends most of his time in the cat room or in the vet center. He’s really nice! Sort of. We don’t get along too well, but you might like him!”

Fenris was beginning to understand that Merrill was this cheerful all the time. It didn’t matter that it was so early in the morning that the day hadn’t started to heat up yet, and there was still a haze of dusk over everything. The moment she’d seen Fenris after her arrival to the shelter, she took his arm and dragged him into the dog hall, chattering excitedly all the while. She didn’t seem to mind that Fenris didn’t feel like talking back. He couldn’t decide if he was grateful for her company, or would rather her be quiet since he currently had a headache pounding at the back of his eyes.

Still, it was a nice morning to be out. Just a day ago, Fenris would have woken up in his motel room if he were lucky, and somewhere outside if he were not. Then he’d lay there and decide if it was worth it to try moving today, feeling the world tilt and spin beneath him. Then, he hadn’t had a purpose beyond staying alive from day to day.  Now he had…

He had people. And he had a thick leash in his hand, at the end of which a rather large dog was walking pleasantly by his side.

It was more than he’d expected when he chose Kirkwall as his next stopping place. For now, he didn’t feel the need to look over his shoulder every few seconds to be sure that nobody was tailing him, and he found that he wasn’t all too concerned by the prospect of Danarius catching up to him. Maybe if the magister saw that he had people surrounding him, he wouldn’t be brave enough to try to fight to get him back.

It was a dream, of course. The lyrium in Fenris’ skin was too valuable to give up on. Still, he allowed himself to relax for the first time in a long while.

“Fenris, Merrill, wait up!”

Fenris turned to see Garrett loping to catch up with them, with Barkspawn leaping happily at his side. The Mabari wasn’t on a leash, as Fenris had realized was usually the case. Garrett only leashed Barkspawn when they were going out in public, or when he thought he’d get in trouble for having such a large dog off the leash. For the most part, the Mabari was very well behaved.

Barkspawn reached them before Garrett did, and immediately went about greeting the dog Fenris was walking. They sniffed each other cautiously before wagging their tails and trying to play. Fenris smiled.

“Garrett!” Merrill exclaimed. “What are you doing? Is something wrong?”

Garrett finally caught up to them properly, and had to bend over double to catch his breath. For such a large man, Fenris realized, Garrett was remarkably out of shape.

“Fenris… you…” Garrett wheezed and held up a finger until he finally had regained his composure enough to speak properly, and could stand to his full height once again. “You and Merrill walked dogs all day yesterday, didn’t you? That’s no good. You should go and spend at least some time in the cat room.”

“Awwww, you’re going to try to take Fenris away from me! And here I was excited because we finally got another elf!” Merrill said, and pouted a little. Garrett laughed.

“Only temporarily. We’re trying to train our newest recruit properly, after all.”

Garrett sent a beaming smile at Fenris, who felt the tips of his ears warm in response.

“If… that’s what you think is best,” Fenris managed.

He flinched a little when Garrett suddenly stuck his hand out at him, but relaxed when he realized that the human was reaching for his leash. Fenris handed it over to him, careful not to touch his skin.

“Awesome. Merrill, it looks like it’s just me and you today. Again. Fenris, you know the way back, don’t you?” Garrett asked.

“It’s… just down the path…” Fenris blinked, unsure of why Garrett needed the confirmation.

“Ah, good! Learning your way around already, that’s what I like to hear. Barkspawn!” The Mabari stopped trying to sniff the other dog’s backside, and looked up with a small whine. “Follow Fenris back to the shelter, will you?”

Barkspawn whined pitifully, but Garrett was apparently immune to his charms.

“I don’t want to hear it. You take care of Fenris now, okay? I’m counting on you!”

The Mabari slunk his head down as he walked past Garrett, but once he was behind him, he jogged towards Fenris as happy as could be. Fenris had a sneaking suspicion that the dog was as prone to theatrics as his owner.

“Thank you, Garrett. I will… see you later,” Fenris said, and received a salute from the human in response.

“Bye, Fenris!” Merrill called, and waved happily before turning to Hawke and renewing her complaints about being torn from her ‘new elf friend’ so soon.

Fenris smiled and waved back.

“Well then… shall we?” he asked Barkspawn, who barked back at him. Fenris smiled and followed the dog on the path back to the shelter.

The cat room was easy to find. He passed the office on the way there, and awkwardly nodded his head in greeting to Varric. He still wasn’t sure how much the dwarf liked him, but had ultimately decided that Varric harbored a healthy wariness for him. That was fair enough. Garrett probably shouldn’t trust him either, but he wasn’t going to question acceptance when it came to him.

Barkspawn abandoned him to curl up at Varric’s feet as Fenris stepped into the cat room. He froze when he saw someone else already standing there.

“Oh, hello! _You_ must be Fenris!”

The woman was standing towards the back of the room, cuddling a massive ginger cat in her arms. Even with her arms full of cat, she managed to give Fenris a sultry look from top to bottom and back again. Once more, he felt heat rise up the back of his neck, but rather than making him uncomfortable, he raised an eyebrow at her brash appreciation. It was almost too exaggerated to be genuine.

“My _my!_ I can see why Hawke is so taken with you,” she purred as she lifted the cat back into his kennel and closed the door.

“…Garrett isn’t taken with me,” Fenris said, and he was certain that the flush in his ears was fully visible now.

“If you say so, sugar.” The woman laughed and crossed the room over to him. He was surprised when she held out her hand for him to shake.

“The name is Isabela. Pirate, ex-cat burglar, and the most attractive woman you’ve met. Good to meet you, sailor!”

Fenris raised his eyebrows again, and hesitantly took her hand. “If you were a thief, why are you allowed to work here? I don’t have a criminal record, and Varric barely hired me,”  he asked.

Isabela laughed. “Oh, back in the day I was quite mischievous. I can’t tell you the details, but it was amazing and epic. But I got caught a few years ago, and this is part of my ‘rehabilitation.’”

She let go of Fenris’ hand to make air-quotes around the last word.

“So now I’m here! Playing with kitties all day long. Varric trusts me here because I wouldn’t _dare_ steal from him. Stealing from Varric would be suicide.”

Fenris had to agree with her there.

“ _However!_ ” Isabela clapped her hands together so suddenly that Fenris jumped. “That’s not what I wanted to talk about. See, I was having a chat with our favorite bear man, and he expressed concern about you.”

“Concern?” Fenris furrowed his eyebrows.

“Yes. He said that you had a very _interesting_ way of showing gratitude.”

She fluttered her eye lashes and Fenris narrowed his eyes in response.

“He told you that?” he asked, his voice coming out harsher than he realized. It wasn’t a surprise that Garrett would have spoken about the encounter with others… but for some reason it still bothered him.

“Oh don’t worry about it. He only told me because we have some similar experiences. He just wanted to let you know that if you needed to talk, I’m here.” She gave him another once-over and winked. “And I’ll be waiting.”

He shifted uncomfortably for a moment, but her face went serious all of a sudden.

“Seriously though, I’m here if you need me. You don’t need to go through anything alone anymore, okay?”

She put a hand on Fenris’ shoulder, and while the touch wasn’t unwelcome, he wasn’t sure how to respond. He opened his mouth-

“Harassing the new hire, are you? That’s going on your record.”

Fenris froze at the voice behind him, totally unaware that someone else had entered the room. He turned to find another woman- this one taller and more muscular with a shock of red hair- tossing a bag of cat food into the corner. She clapped her hands to get rid of debris and placed them on her hips.

“You hag! You wouldn’t dare!” Isabela exclaimed, and fixed her expression into one of mock-outrage. She let go of Fenris to go and punch the woman on the arm.

 “Don’t call me that, whore!” the red-haired woman shot back, and the two of them engaged in bickering for a short while.

Fenris stood back, feeling entirely out of place as they argued. Even though the words were harsh, they didn’t carry any real heat. He got the impression that this was a sort of routine between them- to insult each other as much as possible- but he figured that if he were to call either of them by the same name, the other would attack him for it. It just seemed to be a part of their relationship, and he felt distinctly out of place.

“Oh, I forgot to introduce myself, didn’t I?” the red-head said suddenly. As Isabela had, she stuck out her hand to Fenris. “The name is Aveline. I’m a volunteer and also this one’s parole officer.”

She stuck a thumb in Isabela’s direction, who gave a disgruntled huff.

“It’s always nice to see new hires. We’ve been a little under staffed since the kids went off to college, and Leandra has wanted to get away for a while. What can I call you?”

“Fenris,” he responded, and Aveline gave him a small nod.

At that moment, yet another individual stuck their head through the door.

“Did Aveline come in here? Oh, there you are. I need your help. Varric won’t let me take any of the kittens home, and I’m pretty sure he’s not legally allowed to refuse me, since I meet all of the qualifications.”

“Oh, Anders. Don’t you already have three? Don’t you think that’s a little excessive?” Aveline replied with a frown. Fenris had the feeling that it was her default expression most of the time.

“Nonsense. If I have the room and the time, there should be no reason why I can’t adopt another.”

“Except for the small worry that you’re going to turn into a cat hoarder,” Aveline countered.

“It’s only hoarding if it’s excessive and unhealthy. You know I would never allow that to happen to a cat. …Wait. This one’s new, isn’t he?” Anders narrowed his eyes at Fenris. “Who are you?”

“This is the new guy, Fenris!” Isabela said, and slunk an arm around Fenris’ shoulder. “Isn’t he yummy? It’s about time we got some fresh eye candy in here.”

Fenris froze, at her sudden contact and at the words, but Anders just rolled his eyes.

“Please. You talk as if Garrett and I aren’t attractive enough for this place.”

“Nobody cares about your crush on Garrett. It’s obvious and a little embarrassing,” Isabela said.

Anders’ face was suddenly tinged with a blush, and Fenris fought the seed of resentment that started to plant itself in his heart. It didn’t matter if Garrett already had somebody. Fenris was just a newcomer, nothing more. Besides, it wasn’t like he’d be here for too long anyway.

“I don’t have a crush on him! Stop shipping us! It’s creepy enough that Varric writes about what you two come up with, even if he does change the names.”

Isabela laughed, and Aveline took that moment to step in.

“Okay kids, that’s enough. We’re overwhelming the new hire. I’ll talk to Varric if you want, but don’t expect any results,” Aveline said, and bodily pushed Anders through the door so that she could follow. Fenris could faintly hear Anders thanking her, and then there was silence.

Isabela chuckled.

“So I think you met everyone except for the rest of the Hawkes. I think you’re going to fit right in here!”

Fenris couldn’t help but let out a burst of breathy laughter.

“If you say so.”

First he’d have to survive this group of rag-tag misfits.


	4. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rather than attempting to set up a regular schedule again, I'm going to upload this now, and use a less-restrictive schedule. Because if it's rigid, then I am less likely to want to do it when I feel badly! Yikes!  
> Anyway, this chapter is really dialogue heavy, and you'll be able to see where the characters got away from me a lot. Something I learned: when you have all of the Kirkwall Crew together, they tend to run the show.   
> I hope you all enjoy this chapter, and sorry again for the long absence! 
> 
> Ran was my beta again! Love you Ran Ran <33

Garrett spread out his hands the moment they were all assembled at the table.

“So you’ve all met Fenris, right? Isn’t he great?” Garrett grinned.

“I wish you’d talk to us before hiring anyone new.  We should all have a say in who works here,” Anders grumbled.

“You’re just jealous because he’s hot,” Isabela said with a smirk. “He’s too much competi-”

She was cut off by Anders elbowing her harshly.

“Ow! That was my boob! Anders just assaulted my breasts!”

Aveline gave a long sigh.

“Please children, can’t we focus for at least five minutes? At _least._ ”

“I like him!” Merrill said as if the mini squabble wasn’t even happening. “He seems really nice and the dogs all love him. Plus he’s an elf!”

Merrill was practically glowing, and bounced lightly in her seat.

“But we don’t _know_ anything about him! He could be a criminal for all we know!” Anders said.

“Perish the thought!” Isabela added, and giggled.

Varric sighed.

“Look the kid has no criminal record. There’s no reason not to hire him. Granted, he doesn’t have much of a record at _all_ but-”

“See! Who doesn’t have any sort of record! Nobody good, that’s who. I can’t believe you let him stay alone at your apartment, Garrett. What if he starts stealing all of your things… or… sets up a drug lab in your kitchen!”

“Hey hey!” Garrett held his hands up. “Barkspawn likes him, and that’s good enough for me. Besides, I know he’s trustworthy. I just _do._ I trust my gut on things like this.”

Merrill giggled and reached over to poke his stomach, and Garrett had to fend her off.

“Stop it, I’m ticklish!”

But for all of his protests, Varric joined in from the other side, and soon enough Garrett had curled partially into the fetal position with his forehead on the table, red from laughter.

“Stop, stop, stop, I give, I give!” Garrett said from under the table, and Merrill and Varric reluctantly let up. Garrett finally resurfaced red in the face and trying desperately to regain his breath. “Thank you.”

Anders pointedly tried his best not to look at him while Aveline rolled her eyes.

“Honestly, I’m glad that he’s getting a little alone time. He seems sweet, but very skittish. We might all be too much for him,” Aveline said.

“I’m with Red on this one,” Varric said.

“Oh, please not ‘Red’,” Aveline said. “That’s far too common.”

“Fine. I’ll think of something yet. Anyway, I was skeptical at first, but Fenris does seem to be doing a good job. So, sorry Blondie, but either way you’re outvoted.”

Anders tried to hide his scowl, but Merrill and Isabela both leaned up against him, crooning ‘Awwww.’

“Thanks Varric!” Garrett beamed. “Your support means everything to me.”

“Gross, get a room you two,” Aveline said, and Isabela immediately perked up.

“Wait, who’s hooking up?”

“Nobody is hooking up. Aveline was just making a joke.” Varric winked at her. “And considering it was you, it was a very good attempt.”

“Oh shove off, dwarf,” Aveline said. “Where’s our drinks anyhow?”

“Shit, I forgot to order tham! Hold on!” Garrett slid away from the table and hurried up to the bar.

“And here I thought that it was just the kind of service we’ve all come to expect at the Hanged Man,” Aveline said.

“Hey now, don’t insult my pride and joy! She’s been standing here for a good… several years. She’s fulfilling her purpose every day,” Varric said.

“You really shouldn’t talk about inanimate objects like that,” Anders put in. “It’s slightly unsettling.”

“Really? I think it’s hot,” Isabela said as she cupped her chin in her fingers and fluttered her eyelashes.

“Down, Riviani,” Varric chuckled. “You know I love you but I don’t date humans.”

“More’s the pity,” Isabela pouted, and leaned back in her seat.

“It’s not even _yours,_ ” Aveline mumbled.

Garrett sat heavily back into his seat.

“Okay everyone, what did I miss?” he asked.

“Anders is a prude!” Isabela called out.

“Wha… I am not! You of all people should know that!” Anders said loudly, and then froze. “I mean… well… Hm.”

“Yay, I win!” Isabela grinned and threw her arms up.

Garrett just blinked at them. Anders’ face turned red.

“Okay then. Anyway, so we can all agree that Fenris is staying?” Garrett asked the table.

“Yes! More elf buddies!” Merrill said, and giggled.

“Don’t you have anything more to say than the fact he’s an elf?” Anders asked.

“Hey, don’t be mean!” Merrill frowned. “When I lived with my clan on the Dalish reservation, I was around elves all the time! It’s not like I don’t love you guys, but being the only elf here gets kind of lonely. Even if he wasn’t raised with the Dalish, it’s still nice to be around someone a little like me for a change. You know!”

“Easy, Daisy,” Varric said with a smile. “We understand. Me, I’ve never really been around dwarves that much to begin with, so it’s not that weird for me.”

He shrugged.

Anders sighed.

“Well, it sounds like I’d better get used to him,” he said.

“Yes, we need the help,” Aveline added. “We were short staffed before Carver and Bethany went to college. We need him.”

“And we need the eye candy!” Isabela put in with a laugh.

Garrett joined her with his big booming laugh.

“See, I told you. The gut is never wrong.”

He had to fend off another attempted tickle attack from Merrill.

Their drinks chose that moment to arrive, and were greeted by much fanfare. As was their usual Friday night routine, they all drank way too much (except for Aveline, who usually served as Isabela and Merrill’s designated driver), and played a few too many hands of Wicked Grace. Halfway through the evening, Garrett put his hand up.

“Hang on guys, I want to check in with Fenris.”

“Awww, Garrett! We need your beard at the table. Your beard is the most magnificent part of the evening! Right, Anders?” Isabela said with a grin.

Anders just scowled and tipped his cup back.

“Uhh… yeah. I’ll be right back,” Garrett said and slid back.

It took him a few tries to get the numbers right, as he didn’t usually call his own home phone. He bounced on the balls of his feet as it rang, and his heart leapt with excitement when he heard Fenris pick up.

“Garrett? Is anything wrong?” Fenris asked.

“No, no, everything’s fine! I just missed you!” Wait. That was probably not what he wanted to be saying right now. Well, it was too late now.

“…You’re drunk aren’t you?”

“ _No,_ no… well.. maybe a little.”

“How are you getting home?”

‘ _He’s worried about me! Aww!_ ’ Garrett thought and smiled.

“I’ll walk. Nobody usually bothers me. If I can’t walk home, I’ll take a cab. No big deal!”

“I see.”

There was a bit of awkward silence between them, until Garrett spoke up again.

“Did you get pizza like I said you should? That place is great. Easily… in the top five of every pizza I’ve ever eaten.”

“That’s high praise,” Fenris said, and Garrett wondered if he was imagining the humor in his voice. “But yes, I did. Barkspawn and I ate dinner, and now we’re watching a documentary on dogs. Barkspawn is very interested.”

‘ _That’s so fucking cute,_ ’ said inner-Garrett.

“…He is a dog. Dogs are cute,” Fenris said.

“….Oh shit. Did I say that out loud?”

“You kind of did,”Fenris definitely chuckled. “Maybe you should come home soon.”

“I will!” Garrett promised. “But you should totally come with us next time. It’s not the same without you!”

“It’s only been a week, Garrett. Do you normally get this sappy when drunk?”

“…Maybe. But you should still come next week.”

“I’ll think about it,” Fenris said. “Now go back to your friends. We can talk when you get home.”

“Noooooo!” Garrett exclaimed. “Don’t wait up for me, okay? Get a good night’s sleep unlike the rest of us.”

“If you say so.”

“No, not if I say so. You can do what you want. But you should totally get a good night’s sleep because it’s good for you. But it’s also completely up to you. Does that… I don’t know if that makes sense.”

“It does make sense. I will take your suggestion into consideration. Now go enjoy the rest of your evening.”

“I will. Night, Fenris!”

“Goodnight, Garrett,” Fenris said.

Garrett practically floated back to the table.

“Somebody had a good phone call!” Merrill said with a giggle.

“Nah,” Garrett said, but he was grinning like mad.

The rest of the evening passed as usual, and at the end of it, Garrett felt sober enough to walk the short distance to his home without trouble while Aveline crammed everyone else into her SUV.

He’d almost forgotten that Fenris was home alone until he finally got his key in the door, and made his way into his apartment.

The TV was still on, showing some infomercial or other, but that’s not what had Garrett stopped in his tracks. Fenris was asleep, laid out on the couch like Sleeping Beauty with Barkspawn sprawled out on his chest. When he saw him, the Mabari wagged his stub tail, but otherwise made no move to get up.

Garrett was so tempted to leave him there, but he knew if he did, then Fenris’ neck and head would hurt more than they did usually, so he made his way to the couch and leaned close enough to speak gently and be heard.

“Hey, Fenris, wake up. You can’t sleep here,” Garrett said, and nudged his shoulder gently.

Fenris moaned and frowned, caught halfway between sleep and waking. It was the cutest thing Garrett thought he’d ever seen, except for maybe a litter of newborn puppies. Maybe.

“Come on, wake up, just for a little bit,” Garrett pushed, and finally Fenris blearily opened his eyes.

“You smell like alcohol,” he mumbled.

“Yeah I know. Come on, get up. Let’s get you to your room,” Garrett said.

After some pushing and prodding, Garrett finally got Barkspawn off of Fenris, and Fenris off of the couch. Fenris leaned on Garrett in his sleepiness, and Garrett tried not to find too much happiness in the gesture. He was just tired. It didn’t mean that he was opening up that much yet.

Garrett pulled back the covers and Fenris basically collapsed onto the mattress, already unconscious by the time Garrett pulled the sheets back over him. Garrett chuckled.

“Good night. Sleep tight. Don’t let the bedbugs bite,” he said, and kissed Fenris on the forehead.

Wait what.

Garrett stood suddenly, and backed up as if expecting some physical retaliation, but Fenris was fast asleep. He hadn’t noticed. Garrett breathed a sigh of relief.

The last time he’d tucked anyone into bed it had been Bethany _years_ ago. Maybe the kiss on the forehead was just a reflex. Yeah, that was it.

In any case, Garrett hurriedly left the room, and returned to his own. Hopefully Fenris wouldn’t remember.

 

 

The next morning, Fenris was slathering his waffles with syrup when he suddenly frowned and looked up.

“You didn’t… kiss my forehead by any chance last night, did you?”

Garrett nearly choked on his orange juice.

“What? Why would I do that?”

“I don’t know… It must have been a dream. A weird dream.”

Fenris furrowed his brows, while Garrett gave a nervous chuckle.

“Well we have been living together. Maybe it’s starting to bleed into your subconscious.”

“Maybe,” Fenris shrugged.


End file.
